


Deal of a Lifetime

by TwistedFate108



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Artist Steve Rogers, Demon!Bucky Barnes, Demons, Eventual Smut, Hand Jobs, Hunters & Hunting, M/M, Minor Character Death, Non-Serum Steve Rogers/Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes | Shrinkyclinks, Past Character Death, Supernatural - Freeform, Supernatural Crossover, Vampires, Violence, Witchcraft, stucky au, thigh riding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 18:41:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11191053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwistedFate108/pseuds/TwistedFate108
Summary: Steve Rogers was small, sick, and frail, but when he runs across a book that promises him the assistance of the supernatural, it's impossible to resist. However, what he ends up with is a demon and more than he can handle. It especially sucks when said demon repeatedly refuses to take his soul, and when he ends up caring more than he should.





	Deal of a Lifetime

**Author's Note:**

  * For [comedicdrama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/comedicdrama/gifts).



> Fic based on comedicdrama's Let's Make a Deal.  
> Check it out here: [Let's Make a Deal](https://comedicdrama.tumblr.com/image/160844931804)

Steven Grant Rogers was never one to back down from a fight. His ma vowed to put those exact words on his tombstone one day. Even though he would have most likely died from an asthma attack instead of a fist fight. Sarah Rogers was an actual saint, and Steve missed her so damn much. If she had outlived him he knew that she would have gladly made good on her promise. But, as was the way of the world, the good die young and Steve was all alone. That was probably why he was still slumped over bleeding in a dirty alley behind an old grocery store.

Long story short, Steve’s ass was handed to him after he saw some big looking guys trying to rough up some pretty girl in said alley. As always, Steven Grant Rogers was never one to back down from a fight. He groaned as his head rolled back to rest on the rough brick behind him. He was pretty sure his nose had finally stopped bleeding, but his lip still stung when he swiped his tongue across it. Steve sighed and let his whole body go lax against the sturdy wall. It was like this almost every week. It was as if the universe put evil in his path just so he could weakly punch his way through it with his tiny fists. Steve wanted to do good, God he wanted to make a difference so bad, but his frail body with its many illnesses was holding him back. If only he was healthier, bigger…

Steve sat alone in that alley for a long time. Eventually, it got dark and he hauled himself up and towards the sidewalk, slowly. The plan was to get home, wash up, and pass out for the night. Maybe the universe would give him the day off tomorrow. He sighed and raked a hand through his bangs irritably. Yeah right.

He had a slight limp but managed to make it down the empty streets okay. It was oddly quiet and not many shops were open by this point, but Steve chalked it up to being a typical Wednesday night. Some folks had church that night and so many shops closed early. However, his feet suddenly came to a stop in front of a brightly lit bookstore. A new title caught his eye in the window and suddenly he was inside and perusing the shelves. Steve loved to read, mostly fantasy and art books, but he would try any book that caught his attention. Without realizing it he had ended up towards the very back of the store. Back here the lighting was poor, and one of the bulbs was even flickering ominously. Well, _that_ was promising. Steve continued to browse through the aisles of books, not really paying attention.

At one particular section, his feet suddenly felt like they were cemented to the floor. He looked up at the card hanging above the books simply labeled _Occult_. Steve suddenly felt like he was in a daze as he slowly pulled a book off the shelf without reading the title. The girl at check-out boredly popped her gum as Steve fumbled with the small bag she handed him. His mind wandered absently the whole walk home.

He only sobered up once the front door of his apartment complex came into view. Only then did he realize how foggy his memory had become. That definitely startled him out of his daze and he looked down at the bag in his hand. Steve clearly remembered getting beaten up in the alley, but the walk home was pretty fuzzy. Apparently, he stopped by the bookstore on his way home. He couldn’t recall what book he bought, but the sudden ominous feeling he had in his gut wasn’t comforting. As soon as he walked in he locked the door and sat down on the couch and carefully pulled the book out of the plastic bag like it might bite him at any second. Too scared to look at the cover he immediately opened it to a random page and stared.

_Summoning Spell: Crossroads Demon._

“Fuck me.” he groaned flopping back down on the couch and throwing an arm over his eyes. The universe was _totally_ not giving him a day off tomorrow.

* * *

 

Steve didn’t sleep much that night. He was actually packed and ready to go before the sun was even close to breaching the horizon. Steve took a deep breath as he mounted his beloved Harley Davidson motorcycle. It was one of the few things he had left from his father who died when Steve was just a baby.

It sucked living in the city since he didn’t get to ride it that much when it was easier to just walk, but this trip required more than that. By the time he headed out it was still dark. His destination would take him far outside of the city, but he figured that was appropriate. Crossroads were apparently more effective in very small towns or in the middle of nowhere. Steve picked the middle of nowhere option since he didn’t want to be interrupted when the transaction, or _whatever_ , went down. This was just so surreal to him. He wasn’t even sure if the damn thing would work, and here he was heading out to God knows where to try and summon God knows what.

Soon, the sun was peeking over the horizon and the city was well behind him. Now, the only thing keeping Steve company besides the open road was the fields and cows zipping by in a blur of colors. He barely saw any other cars out here, so he let his mind wander a little bit.

The book had described things that Steve could only dream about. It spoke of summoning a demon that could give him anything he wanted. Nothing was impossible for one of Lucifer’s children. He stopped reading at that point and went straight to the instructions. The summoning seemed easy enough and before he knew it Steve was gathering the needed supplies and saving the directions to the crossroads on his phone. He just hoped that it worked, and if it did that whatever showed up could give him the power he needed.

It was late afternoon when the Harley rumbled into the old diner’s dusty parking lot. It was practically in the middle of nowhere, and it took forever for Steve to find somewhere he could eat and use the bathroom. He stumbled in gratefully and relieved himself before finding a booth near the back. The place was a ghost town besides the one and only waitress and cook working. She seemed overjoyed to have a customer to wait on.

“What can I get ya’, hun?” she asked whipping out her pen and paper. She was older, maybe mid-50s with her hair dyed a deep burgundy. Steve smiled at her and ordered some pancakes and coffee.

“I’m glad you stopped in. I was worried we weren’t gonna have anyone show up today. We get some pretty odd folks around here, too.” she laughed. “It’ll be out in a bit.”

Steve shucked off his leather jacket and sighed. Hopefully, the dust out here wouldn’t send him into an asthma attack. He checked his phone to see how far out he was from his destination and found there was no service out here. Good thing he saved it to his notes and didn’t need the internet. Steve groaned when he saw that he would probably be arriving just before dusk. The sun was already getting low in the sky, so he’d have to hurry if he wanted to be able to see his hand in front of his face.

Thankfully, the waitress left him to eat in peace and he was out the door in fifteen minutes. He quickly steered the bike and was on the road again. It was going to be a long ride. More cows. More fields. Yay.

* * *

 

Soon, Steve was finally approaching his destination. His stomach immediately fluttered with butterflies as he slowed down. This was it, no turning back now. Steve parked his bike right in front of where the crossroads met in the middle and hopped off. It was quickly getting dark and his nerves were creeping up with the darkness. He swallowed hard and gripped the strap on his bag tighter as he made it to the middle of the crossroads. The blond dropped to his knees in the center and began digging a small hole in the dirt and gravel. He opened the old tin box to make sure that everything was still in order. A picture of himself from his high school yearbook, some graveyard dirt, and a small bone from a black cat. He closed the box shuddering at the last item before placing it in the hole and covering it again.

Brushing the grit from his pants and hands he held his breath and quickly looked around. The silence was deafening and his heart was in his throat as the cold air seeped under his leather jacket. The seconds seemed to drag by at a snail’s pace and the apprehension was quickly turning into agitation. Suddenly, he felt dumb for coming all the way out here and thinking something like the supernatural would just show up and help him, scrawny little Steve with a chip a mile wide on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around his body and kicked the dirt, turning towards his bike to leave when a voice behind him stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Awww, c’mon, Stevie. Leaving the party so soon?” Steve went rigid and ice seeped down his spine. There wasn’t a soul around for miles. He would know since he drove all the way out here for that very reason. He whipped around to see a man standing behind him with a cocky grin plastered on his gorgeous face.

He was pale, paler than sickly Steve himself. His dark hair was neatly styled and short except for the long strands in front that had escaped and fallen into his face. He was rocking a 5 o'clock shadow that accentuated a pair of downright sinful pouty lips. But it was his eyes that made Steve's breath catch and heart race. They were the prettiest blue he'd ever seen on either man or woman. They seemed to bore into his soul. They twinkled as one side of those lips turned into a devious little smirk. This motherfucker _knew_ what he was doing to Steve. As he stalked closer to Steve he took note of what the stranger was wearing. His eyes traveled down to the blue shirt that was practically see through, and the black leather jacket over it. His pants were also black leather and Steve wasn’t sure how the hell he got into them. He was pretty sure the damn things were painted on. His gaze finally fell on the black combat boots planted firmly in the dirt of the crossroads.

“Eyes up here, darlin’.” the man drawled, smirk broadening. Steve blushed and shoved his fists into the pockets of his jacket, looking down at his own boots. He was very close to Steve now, and he was having a hard time breathing with the other man this close.

“Who are you?” he mumbled glancing back up at the man who had literally appeared out of thin air.

“Name’s Buchanan, but you can call me Bucky. You called?” he gestured with his head at the mound of disturbed dirt by their feet. Realization dawned on Steve as he remembered the buried box and instructions from the book.

“No way,” Steve said taking a step back and gaping at the man named Bucky.

“Way.” Bucky leaned down to Steve’s level and gave a feral grin as his once beautiful blue eyes morphed into a bright red. Steve gasped and stumbled back a step, almost falling on his ass if Bucky hadn’t grabbed his arm to steady him. Words had decided to fail him at this new information, so he could only gape like a fish at the smiling demon. This was impossible! The supernatural didn’t exist!

 _Then why did you call on a demon?_ His mind taunted back.

While Steve was having an existential crisis in his head, Bucky had taken the opportunity to look around at the place he had been summoned to this time.

"That yours?" he teased, his eyes crinkling at the sides as he pointed to the Harley parked off in the distance behind the smaller man. That definitely got his attention back to the present. Steve bristled and squared his shoulders, staring the taller man down.

"Yeah, got a problem with it? Think a scrawny guy like me can't handle a bike like that?" he challenged. The man threw his hands up in mock surrender.

"Jus' admirin' a nice piece of machinery is all. 'Sides, I know full well what you can handle, Stevie." he winked.

"So, what now? You gonna bet a fiddle of gold against my soul?" Steve snapped. He was tired and nervous and just wanted to get this over with. Whatever the hell _this_ was he didn’t know. The demon actually laughed and came a step closer.

"I might take you up on that offer." He chuckled before sobering up and looking at Steve dead in the eye. His eyes were back to that hypnotizing blue, and Steve was suddenly having a hard time concentrating.

“Tell me what you want, Stevie. I can grant any wish your heart desires,” he whispered leaning in closer.

"I wanna be big. Help people. I don't like bullies." Steve breathed staring up through his eyelashes at the demon. Something in Bucky’s eyes changed right then, just a little, and his smile seemed a little tighter.

"Oh yeah?" Bucky slid a cool, smooth hand down the side of Steve's neck. He leaned in even closer as Steve nodded quickly and hovered his sinfully pouty lips right next to Steve’s ear. Steve was pretty sure his breath was permanently stuck in his chest and his soul had left his body. The seconds felt like hours as they ticked by and he was starting to think Bucky wasn’t going to say anything at all.

"No." he whispered before abruptly pulling away. He spun on his heel and began walking down one of the dirt roads behind him, shoving his hands back into his pockets. Steve floundered for a second before taking off after the other man.

"What do you mean no!?" he asked, waving his hands dramatically beside the man as he tried to keep up with his brisk pace.

"Exactly what I said, no." he shrugged his shoulders. Steve spluttered a few moments before he had to stop, gasping a little with his hands on his knees. The man stopped suddenly and turned in one fluid motion.

"You don't need to be big to be great, Stevie."

"Stop calling me that!" he growled turning his face away from the demon.

"All I'm sayin' is everything you need is up here," he tapped Steve's temple with a slender finger, "and right here." he pressed his large hand over Steve's heart.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Steve grumbled pushing Bucky’s warm hand off his chest.

“I’m gonna be real honest with ya here, Steve. There are lesser men that have come to me wantin’ some pretty godawful shit, and you know what? I gave it to them. They fucking deserved it, but you don’t. Did you even read all of what the deal consists of?” Bucky’s brow was furrowed and for the first time since they met, he was dead serious.

“Not really…” Steve mumbled and rubbed the back of his neck. Instantly his mind went back to the part he had quickly skimmed over in the book.  The demon threw his head back and groaned. When he met Steve’s gaze again his eyes were hard and he was frowning.

“You make a wish, I grant it, and in return, I get your soul. You’ll live ten years and then the hellhounds come for you. Trust me, it ain’t pretty. They literally drag you to hell, and your soul is damned for eternity. So, no, I am _not_ making a deal with you. I’m breaking a ton of rules here, so please just leave it be, Stevie.” he pleaded giving Steve a pitiful look. The blond’s eyes went wide and he let out a shaky breath as he raked a hand through his hair.

“Well, damn,” he said. Bucky just nodded.

“It was nice meetin’ ya, Steve, but I gotta go. Wishes to grant, souls to steal, ya’ know.” He gave a half-hearted grin and turned to leave once more. Before he could stop himself, the word was leaving Steve’s lips.

“Wait!” he gasped, reaching a hand out to wrap around the demon’s wrist. Bucky turned suddenly, stunned by the small blond’s outburst. Steve blushed at his own actions but plowed ahead.

“What if I need you again? I’m not too keen on finding any more dead cats…” Steve mumbled. Bucky’s smile seemed to stretch from ear to ear at that. He pulled the smaller man into his chest and laughed at the squawk as Steve stumbled awkwardly into his arms.

“Just say my name and I’ll be there. But this is 2017 ya know. Check your pocket.” And with that Bucky was gone. One second Steve’s face was buried in the demon’s chest and the next he was standing in the middle of the crossroads by himself. The only thing that remained was the faint smell of ash and sulfur. Stunned, Steve fished around in his pockets and pulled out a folded piece of paper with a number scrawled in chicken scratch on the parchment. Steve abruptly barked out a laugh and sank down to the dirt below. All he could do was smile and shake his head at the absurdity of what just happened.

Steve had just met a _demon_. A demon that flat out refused his soul too. He knew this wasn’t his last encounter with Bucky because Steve wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Eventually, the demon would cave and give him what he wanted. Ten years wasn’t so bad, right? Steve knew he wouldn’t live long anyways, might as well do some good before he went out with a bang.

No, this wasn’t the last time he would be seeing the crossroads demon.

* * *

 

Buchanan was just closing up another deal a few states over when he felt the call of the summoning. He groaned as he denied the call for a few moments longer. He’d only taken a couple steps away from the poor unfortunate soul who had just unknowingly handed his soul over to him when he felt the tug.

“Seriously? This was supposed to be the last one for the day,” he grumbled fabricating a list out of thin air and checking it again. Under the long list of names, one more was being scrawled by an invisible hand. His boss was seriously a dick.

“Excuse me?” It was the man again. Buchanan turned and plastered a strained smile onto his face.

“Nothin’, pal. Just mumblin’ to myself. You better head on home now. All those pretty girls go up in smoke if you don’t use ‘em.” He shook his head as the man tucked tail and ran for his car. Bucky was sure that prostitutes were still a thing, so he wasn’t sure why this man needed a house full of women. Oh well, wasn’t any skin off his back. He’d made the deal, got the soul, and now was on his way to yet another deal instead of home. The universe wasn’t letting him off easy today.

He glanced back down at the browning paper in his hands to see the name of his next customer.

 _Steven Grant Rogers_.

“Huh, sounds cute.”

He snapped his fingers and in an instant, he was gone.

* * *

 

The demon appeared in the middle of the crossroads right as the tiny blond man was dejectedly trudging away. He plastered a cocky grin on his face. This one wasn’t getting away so soon, especially since he was apparently important enough for the man up top to write him in last minute.

“Awww, c’mon, Stevie. Leaving the party so soon?”

The man turned around faster than he thought was possible. For a solid minute or two, they both stood there and just stared. The way the man’s, Steve’s, eyes roamed his body made him preen. He knew he looked good, and he knew Steve thought so too. He stalked closer in a way that he knew drove humans wild. He smirked as the blond’s mouth gaped. As Steve drank in his appearance, he took the time to appreciate the small man’s body in return. His mop of blond hair fell limply over his forehead and his nose was a little crooked, from fighting he guessed, and his skin was a sickly pale. He wore a heavy, brown leather jacket with a button down underneath along with jeans and riding boots. Everything was definitely too large and not his size. However, for some reason, Buchanan couldn’t help but notice he was feeling a spark of attraction. Something about this man was calling out to him, and he couldn’t figure it out. The feeling was niggling at his insides making him uncomfortable.

As usual, the one thing he could count on to save him was his charm and wit. Steve’s gaze had just fallen onto his heavy combat boots when Buchanan broke the silence.

“Eyes up here, darlin’.” he drawled, smirk broadening. He watched Steve blush and look down, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets as the smaller man realized just how close they were.

“Who are you?” he mumbled glancing back up.

“Name’s Buchanan, but you can call me Bucky. You called?” Whoa, wait, what? Where the hell did that come from? The only people that called him Bucky were close friends, and for some reason, the demon had just asked a stranger to call him that. A man whose soul he was currently trying to take, no less! Thankfully, he was a master hunter and businessman and was able to keep the surprise off his face.

“No way,” Steve said taking a step back and gaping at him. Bucky was immediately back in the game and was leaning down even further into Steve’s personal space. He had a job to do, and he didn’t have time to reflect on the weirdness of this transaction. Besides, he was just getting started, and what’s so wrong with having a little fun on the job?

“Way.” Bucky gave a feral grin as his crystal blue eyes morphed into a bright red. Steve gasped and stumbled back a step, and would have fell on his ass if Bucky hadn’t grabbed his arm to steady him. Words had decided to fail him at this new information, so he could only gape like a fish at the smiling demon.

While Steve was having an existential crisis in his head, Bucky had taken the opportunity to look around at the place he had been summoned to this time.

"That yours?" he teased, his eyes crinkling at the sides as he pointed to the Harley parked off in the distance behind the smaller man. _That_ definitely got his attention back to the present. Steve bristled and squared his shoulders, staring him down.

"Yeah, got a problem with it? Think a scrawny guy like me can't handle a bike like that?" he challenged. The demon threw his hands up in mock surrender.

"Jus' admirin' a nice piece of machinery is all. 'Sides, I know full well what you can handle, Stevie." He winked. Bucky was tickled pink with this new turn of events. Stevie wasn’t so little when it came to attitude. He fucking _loved_ it. Little spitfire he was turning out to be. Bucky wanted more.

"So, what now? You gonna bet a fiddle of gold against my soul?” Steve snapped. Bucky actually laughed and stepped closer again.

"I might take you up on that offer." he chuckled before sobering up and looking Steve dead in the eye. His eyes morphed back to the hypnotizing blue from before and he fought back a proud smirk as he watched the blond losing concentration. This was the most vital and tricky part of the process, and the demon had had decades to master it.

“Tell me what you want, Stevie. I can grant any wish your heart desires,” he whispered leaning in closer. By the way Steve’s eyes suddenly clouded over he could tell that he had him, hook, line, and sinker.

"I wanna be big. Help people. I don't like bullies." Steve breathed staring up through his eyelashes at the demon. Bucky could feel his magic slip a bit and his eyes hardened as the words registered in his brain. He could feel that his smile had tightened but plowed through.

"Oh yeah?" Bucky slid a hand down the side of the blond's neck. He leaned in as Steve nodded quickly and hovered his lips right next to the blond’s ear. Bucky was on autopilot at this point. He was just so damn confused. Maybe Steve was just kidding? No, he had just confirmed his wish twice, he was serious about this. There was no way in hell his wish would be to help the greater good though. Everyone always asked for money, power, women, popularity, love. Then there were the really bad wishes, murder being one of the much milder ones.

This was just so far out of his training he didn’t know what to do. Bucky could feel Steve becoming restless underneath his touch, he had waited too long to respond. With no other choice, the demon did something he’d never done before.

"No." he whispered before abruptly pulling away. He spun on his heel and began walking down one of the dirt roads behind him, shoving his hands back into his pockets. His breaths were coming in quick pants as he realized what he’d just done. Buchanan, the crossroads demon, who stole souls for a living, had just turned down a deal.

"What do you mean no!?" Steve was suddenly there, waving his hands dramatically beside him as he tried to keep up with Bucky’s brisk pace.

"Exactly what I said, no." He shrugged his shoulders. Steve spluttered a few moments before he had to stop, gasping a little with his hands on his knees. Bucky stopped suddenly and turned in one fluid motion.

"You don't need to be big to be great, Stevie." For once, the demon did not lie.

"Stop calling me that!" Steve growled turning his face away. He missed the rueful smile that was thrown his way.

"All I'm sayin' is everything you need is up here," he tapped Steve's temple with a slender finger, "and right here." he pressed his large hand over Steve's heart.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Steve grumbled pushing Bucky’s hand off his chest.

“I’m gonna be real honest with ya here, Steve. There are lesser men that have come to me wantin’ some pretty godawful shit, and you know what? I gave it to them. They fucking deserved it, but you don’t. Did you even read all of what the deal consists of?” Bucky’s brow was furrowed and for once he was dead serious. He’d never told anyone this, and he would probably get in trouble if the higher-ups found out about this.

“Not really…” Steve mumbled and rubbed the back of his neck. The demon threw his head back and groaned. He frowned and gazed hard into the other man’s eyes.

“You make a wish, I grant it, and in return, I get your soul. You’ll live ten years and then the hellhounds come for you. Trust me, it ain’t pretty. They literally drag you to hell, and your soul is damned for eternity. So, no, I am not making a deal with you. I’m breaking a ton of rules here, so please just leave it be, Stevie.” he pleaded giving Steve a pitiful look. Bucky was surprising himself in all kinds of ways today. He hadn't begged since he was human, and that was a  _long_ time ago. The blond’s eyes went wide and he let out a shaky breath as he raked a hand through his hair.

“Well, damn,” he said. Bucky just nodded grimly. It was a lot to take in at once.

“It was nice meetin’ ya, Steve, but I gotta go. Wishes to grant, souls to steal, ya know.” He gave a half-hearted grin and turned to leave once more.

“Wait!” Steve gasped, reaching a hand out to wrap around the demon’s wrist. Bucky turned suddenly, stunned by the outburst. Steve blushed but plowed ahead.

“What if I need you again? I’m not too keen on finding any more dead cats…” Steve mumbled. Bucky couldn’t help but smile wide at that. The tiny blond was a fireball one minute and then a shy little guy the next. He was driving Bucky absolutely crazy. Suddenly, he pulled the smaller man into his chest and laughed at the squawk as Steve stumbled awkwardly into his arms.

“Just say my name and I’ll be there. But this is 2017 ya know. Check your pocket.” And with that Bucky was gone.

* * *

 

Steve sat on the edge of the lumpy motel bed and stared down at the two objects he held in his hands. One was the open spell book and one was Bucky’s number scrawled out on the crumpled-up piece of paper. He had stopped at the dingy motel halfway back to rest before making the trip back home. Dead tired and afraid he would fall off his bike, Steve reluctantly forked over some cash for a small room. Now he was reading and re-reading over the page he had so hastily glanced over the first time.

“Dammit, he’s right,” Steve grumbled and carefully tucked a scrap of paper into the book before throwing it onto the nightstand. He huffed and flopped back onto the hard pillow. Everything Bucky had said had been true after all. Even though that didn’t really deter him. He was still determined as hell to get his wish granted.

Steve was tempted to try and say Bucky’s name to see if he would really come but chickened out before he could get the first syllable out of his mouth. He rolled over and shoved his face in the pillow and let out a loud groan. He was tired but wired at the same time, and he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to see Bucky again, but it was still too soon. The demon wouldn’t hear him out if he came calling too soon. So instead of giving into his impulsive urges, he flipped through the spell book until he fell asleep with it open on his chest.

The image of red eyes and a crooked smile followed him into the darkness.

* * *

 

The next morning Steve packed his things and began the rest of his journey home. The ride was peaceful in the early morning light, but he was distracted by the memories whirling around in his head from the night before. He was still reeling from finding out that the supernatural was indeed real. However, he was irritated that those sinful lips had teased him and then yanked his hopes right from underneath his feet. It was cruel and he wanted to give the demon a piece of his mind, but he didn’t want to seem too desperate so he was forcing himself to wait just awhile longer.

_God, I’m just like a damn teenage girl._

Steve shook his head and pressed the gas pedal a little harder. He wanted to get the hell out of here and back home. Things made more sense there.

Once Steve got home he immediately threw his keys on the counter and flopped down on his bed, face first. Almost immediately, his phone began buzzing with tons of missed calls and texts. His crappy phone was just now catching up and notifying him of everything that he’d received while he was out of range and had no service. He groaned and grabbed his phone to squint at the screen.

 _Sam_.

“Where the hell have you been, Rogers? I’ve been calling for like a week.” Sam’s voice came through the speaker as soon as he hit the green button.

“I’ve only been gone for a day, Sam, chill.” Steve rolled his eyes and flipped over onto his back to look at the caving ceiling and water damage spots.

“That still doesn’t answer my question. Don’t you have commissions to do?”

“I just went on a mini road trip on my bike. I needed a break and it needed to be driven, and I’m currently finishing up the last of my commissions.” the lie rolled off his tongue a little too smoothly. He always did suck at lying. He actually still had a handful of commissions sitting half finished in his living room, and there’s no way in _hell_ he could tell his best friend about Bucky. Steve could just feel Sam narrowing his eyes on the other side of the line. But to his surprise, Sam’s voice softened, if not a little begrudgingly.

“Yeah, man, you really do need a break. Take a longer one next time, okay? Listen, I gotta go. Just wanted to make sure you weren’t in some alley somewhere.” Steve cringed. He hated when Sam went all counselor on him, and if he would have called a day earlier he wouldn’t have been wrong about the last bit.

“Thanks, Sam, I’ll talk to you later,” Steve said. Sensing that Steve was now unoccupied, his stomach gave a loud growl. With a sigh, he lifted himself off the bed to go find something to eat and take his morning medications.

The eggs were sizzling away in the pan and the toast in the toaster when a good portion of Steve’s medicine cabinet decided to dive bomb onto the bathroom floor. Steve cursed and bent down to collect the bottles and groaned when his joints protested. He had waited too long to take his meds and now his body was yelling at him for it. After dropping the same bottle for the third time he finally gave up and threw the rest down on the tile. He sat down and slumped against the wall with a tired sigh. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

“I bet _Bucky_ doesn’t have to deal with this bullshit. With his fancy demon powers and shit,” he grumbled.

“You’re right, since technically I’m dead, and my damned soul is keeping this vessel sustained.” came the sudden voice in front of him.

Steve’s eyes immediately snapped open and were met with a pair of polished combat boots. They quickly snapped up to see Bucky giving him an almost bored look. He even pretended to study his immaculate fingernails for non-existent dirt as Steve scrambled up from the floor.

“What the hell, Bucky? What are you doing here?” He tried to keep his voice down, but it was hard to when a demon literally appeared out of thin air in your bathroom. He ended up sounding a little shrill and Bucky noticed. He raised his eyebrows and laughed.

“You called?”

“No, I didn’t!” Steve had to resist the urge to wave his arms in the air.

“You said my name, so here I am.” He smiled with all of his teeth and spread his arms wide. Steve was momentarily knocked breathless by the sight of Bucky and that toothy grin but quickly recovered.

“Wait, so you were actually serious about the name thing?” Steve stood dumbfounded. Bucky rolled his eyes and dropped his arms.

“Yes, even though you could have just texted me. You’re lucky my three o’clock canceled.” Steve decided not to question how exactly someone canceled a meeting for a deal. He was pretty sure he didn’t want to know. He was more concerned with the whole name thing. Steve wasn’t even calling for the demon, he’d just said his name and he’d showed up. What if he accidentally said it in an embarrassing situation? He shuddered at the thought of Bucky showing up while he was showering or something. Now _that_ would be mortifying. Before Steve could think more on the subject they were both suddenly startled by the sound of Steve’s smoke alarm blaring throughout the apartment.

“Shit!” he exclaimed running out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. To his horror, both eggs were charred black and filling the small space with smoke. He shoved the pan off the burner and began fanning the smoke with a hand towel. Suddenly, there was a snap of fingers and the smoke was abruptly sucked out of the room and the shrill beeping stopped.

Steve stopped flapping the towel around and looked around in confusion. Behind him, Bucky lowered his hand with a sheepish grin. Well, that was a new one. Bucky? Bashful?

“I’m not a very high ranking demon, but I can still do certain things,” he explained nonchalantly brushing past Steve and over to the stove. He grabbed the pan with the scorched eggs and began scraping them into the trash can.

“You’re welcome, by the way.” He raised an eyebrow and smiled. Steve just stood there as the demon made his way around the kitchen grabbing things out of cupboards and drawers. Finally, as Bucky began to rummage through his fridge, he asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m making breakfast. What are _you_ doing?” he retorted setting eggs and milk on the counter. Flustered, Steve began grabbing plates and setting the table. Bucky just chuckled and began cracking the eggs on the edge of a bowl. A few minutes later Steve plopped down in a chair with a huff. His eyes instantly zeroed in on the tall man whisking eggs in his kitchen. The long strands of hair were falling into his face as he worked, and Steve was tempted to tuck them behind his ear. He couldn’t help but let his gaze track down the strong back and further down Bucky’s body. His ass, like everything else about the demon, was downright  _sinful_ . Steve would _definitely_ go to hell for a piece of that.

“Checkin’ me out, Rogers?” Steve’s gaze snapped up to see Bucky peering over his shoulder with a wide grin. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he laughed. Steve’s breath caught in his throat and he blushed crimson. Instead of giving Bucky the satisfaction he answered with another question.

“What did you mean earlier? About keeping your ‘vessel’ sustained?” There was only a slight hitch in the demon’s actions as he pressed the lever on the toaster.

“This isn’t my real body. I’m possessing someone,” he said turning around with two plates of eggs.

“What the fuck? Are you serious?” Steve blanched gripping the edge of the table. Bucky’s eyes widened and he quickly made his way over and set the plates down before leveling Steve with a shockingly honest gaze.

“It’s not like that, Stevie. This guy is already gone. His soul is in heaven, I’m just using his meat suit.” he said holding his hands out. The blond only relaxed a fraction and hardened his gaze.

“Who was he?”

“A soldier who fought in World War II. He wasn’t going to make it and I needed a vessel. So he moved on and I took over his body. I’m not possessing a live human, Steve.” Bucky had the decency to actually look horrified by the suggestion. Steve finally relaxed and dug his fork into the eggs on his plate. It was still creepy as hell to think that Bucky was basically using a corpse to walk the earth, but at least the guy’s soul had moved on and he wasn’t trapped. Now _that_ would fucking suck.

Steve was momentarily pulled out of his thoughts as a slice of toast fell onto his plate. He looked up to see Bucky taking a seat in front of him and digging into his own eggs. It was a little worrisome how calm Steve was with a demon casually cooking and sitting in front of him eating breakfast in his apartment. Maybe this was just a really crazy bad dream, or maybe he was just going into shock.

“I didn’t know demons ate or cooked,” Steve said biting into his toast. Bucky just laughed and shoved another forkful into his mouth.

“I don’t really need to eat, but I can if I want to. As long as I’m in a human vessel, that is.”  Steve swallowed and set down his fork. He didn’t want to ruin the easy going conversation, and he was actually really curious about Bucky, but he had to ask.

“Are you going to grant my wish now?” Bucky seemed taken aback by the abrupt question. He too set down his fork and ran his hands through his hair, before answering in a low voice.

“I told you before, no. I’m not doing that to you, Steve.” His eyes turned hard and his mouth was a tight line.

“You know I’m not going to stop until I get what I want.” Steve challenged, lifting his chin and narrowing his eyes.

“We’ll see about that.” Bucky narrowed his own eyes at Steve. With a flick of his slender finger, the orange juice in front of the blond tipped over and spilled all over the table. It ran over the edge and quickly soaked into his pants. He yelped and scooted back sharply, dabbing at the fabric with a napkin. However, when he looked up to chew the demon out he was already gone. Half eaten eggs and an empty chair was all that remained.

“Fucking asshole.” he cursed shoving up from the table and going into his room to change clothes. Bucky was apparently the king of diversions, but little did he know Steve was the king of perseverance.

* * *

 

Over the next couple of weeks, Steve called on Bucky daily. The demon would show up every single time with a smirk or a roll of his eyes. It really depended on the day and the mood he was in. To Steve’s delight and Bucky’s annoyance, apparently, he absolutely had to show up every time Steve called. Some kind of demon rule or whatever. Even though Bucky had told him to just “text me for Lucifer’s sake.” Steve always just said his name and he was there instantly.

Usually, he would call on the demon when he was lonely or bored. Sometimes Bucky would just sit there and chatter endlessly about one thing or another while Steve worked on commissions or sketched. He would also call on him sometimes to cook dinner and hang out since his cooking was so good (and he knew Bucky secretly loved to cook all sorts of things. Even though he’d never admit to it). And of course at the end of each visit, he would ask Bucky to make him big, to grant his wish, and Bucky would always refuse and leave immediately afterward. It was routine by now.

Tonight was no different from the rest. They both sat on either side of Steve’s couch, Bucky’s arm sprawled across the back and Steve’s cold feet tucked underneath Bucky’s warm thighs. The blond was furiously sketching away in his sketch pad while Bucky watched some trashy reality television show.

“Do we really have to watch another damn episode of _Keeping Up with the Kardashians_?” Steve groaned when he noticed another episode starting up on the screen. Bucky let out a laugh and picked up the remote, but instead of changing the channel he just turned up the volume. Steve rolled his eyes and went back to shading. In truth, he didn’t give a damn about what they watched. He wasn’t really watching it anyways, he was watching the man opposite of him. Steve was supposed to be sketching out a rough draft of a portrait for a client, but his hand had gone and done its own thing. The page was full of crooked smiles, crinkled eyes, and cleft chins. He was just finishing up the shading on one of the eyes when the paper was suddenly snatched from his thin hands.

“Hey!” he cried lurching forward. But it was too late, Bucky was examining the page with a calculated gaze. Steve immediately felt shame blossom in the pit of his stomach. But it quickly turned into confusion when a shit eating grin began to spread along the demon’s lips. He carefully placed the open sketchbook on the coffee table before turning to lock eyes with the blond.

“You want me, Stevie?” he said leaning in close. Steve’s face was on fire and he was having trouble breathing. He could feel the scorching heat rolling off the demon’s body. Bucky’s face was too close and oh my god those fucking _eyes_. Steve shivered and let out a shaky breath when he felt a large hand on his hip.

“Bucky…” he whimpered.

“Shhh, it’s okay, babydoll. I got you.” He nuzzled his nose along Steve’s jaw and closed his eyes.

_Oh my fucking God this cannot be happening. Fuck fuck fuck! What do I do?_

Steve was internally panicking. He was infatuated by Bucky, but there was no way in hell he was ready for this. Not when he looked like this and Bucky looked like _that_. So, instead of saying ‘no’ or something equally intelligent Steve whispered brokenly, “You have to grant my wish, Bucky.”

Smooth, Rogers, real smooth.

Bucky was off of him in a flash, and there was fire in his eyes.

“Are you fucking serious, Steve?” He instantly pushed himself off the couch.

“Bucky, wait!” Steve reached out but it was too late. He’d already vanished into thin air. Steve slumped back into the cushions and groaned. He even banged his head on the back a few times for good measure.

“You’re a fucking idiot, Rogers.”

* * *

 

“Man, who pissed in your Cheerios?” Sam said taking a sip of his smoothie. Steve just glared at him and slumped further down in his seat.

“I’m guessing things didn’t work out with his boy toy,” Natasha smirked, stirring her tea with a blood red fingernail. Steve gaped at her with wide eyes. There’s _no way_ in hell she knows about Bucky. He had kept his mouth sewn tightly shut about that one. He couldn’t have his friends sending him off to an insane asylum.

“Just a good guess, considering we haven’t seen you that much and when we did you had that dopey look on your face.” She wrinkled her nose like the concept of love was gross and inconvenient. Which was actually pretty accurate considering it was Nat.

“It’s complicated,” Steve said, the crumb in front of him becoming more fascinating by the second.

“Really, man? You didn’t tell us anything!” Sam said throwing Steve a disbelieving look.

“Like I said, it’s complicated. Can we just drop it, please?” Steve snapped. In truth, Bucky hadn’t shown up since the other night and Steve hadn’t called. Not even a text or actual phone call either. He felt bad but he didn’t want to bother Bucky more than he already had. Steve really missed the demon, but he refused to be the first to crumble.

“Okay, sorry, Steve.” He looked up to see both Sam and Nat giving him pitying looks. He looked away.

“So, what’s been up with you guys?” Steve said, plastering a fake smile on his face. He just had to fake it for a little while longer. It was becoming terrifyingly easy.

* * *

 

The next couple of nights were rough for Steve. He would toss and turn all night and sleep through most of the afternoon. His commissions were starting to pile up in his living room, half finished and mostly abandoned. It was hard to go back to a normal life after Bucky had stepped in and changed everything. Steve didn’t realize how lonely he was until he sat at his easel in complete silence and saw the empty stool beside him. That was Bucky’s spot, and now Bucky was gone. All because Steve had to go and ruin everything good he had in his life.

On one particular night, he vowed he would go to bed early and actually sleep through the night. He swallowed two pills that promised to give him a full night of sleep and laid down. Without thinking, he grabbed the spell book and flipped through it for what had to be the thousandth time now. Usually, reading helped him fall asleep easier, and tonight wasn’t any different. He was almost to the crossroads spell when he felt his eyes slipping shut. Almost instantly he was drifting off and starting to snore.

_Steve found himself in a dark stone hallway, torches dimly lighting the passage. He could only see a few feet in front of himself. The rest of the stone was plunged into pitch black. In the distance, he could hear screaming and pained yells. Suddenly, lightning cracked overhead, illuminating the immediate area for a few seconds. It revealed a dark roiling sky above his head; there was no ceiling. Steve jumped and pressed into the cold stone to his right. He had no idea where he was, and it was cold and damp. The last thing he remembered was lying down in his bed with the spellbook. Was this a dream then?_

_His breath hitched as he caught movement in his peripheral vision. He whipped his head to the side to see a dark figure standing just outside the light. The Steve’s eyes widened and he just knew his heart was about to burst out of his bony chest. Finally, the figure stepped out of the darkness and Steve’s breath caught at the familiar red eyes._

_“Bucky?”_

Steve woke with a gasp and shot straight up in bed, the book falling off his chest and onto his lap. Cold sweat ran down his back and he tried to regain his breath. He clutched the blankets pooled in his lap as his eyes frantically darted around the room. Something had woken him up, but he didn’t know _what_. Suddenly, a figure shifted in the shadows at the foot of Steve’s bed. This was like his nightmare all over again. Or was he still dreaming? Steve snatched up the heavy leather bound book and wielded it like a weapon threateningly over his head. His eyes were wide and wild and he was panting like he’d just run a marathon.

“Easy there, Stevie, it’s just me.” Bucky raised his hands and slowly stepped into the sliver of moonlight beside the bed. This time his eyes were the beautiful blue of his human vessel. Still breathing harshly Steve lowered the book and glared at the demon.

“What the _hell_ are you doing here?” he hissed. Okay, so maybe he was still a _little_ upset about being jilted the other night. Bucky’s eyes hardened and he scowled.

“You called my name.” he gritted out. What? Had he really said Bucky’s name in his sleep? Now _that_ was the embarrassing situation Steve was worried about. He quickly looked away, hoping Bucky couldn’t see his blush in the dark room.

“Sorry…” he mumbled. Steve lifted his gaze only a little bit when he felt a new weight beside him on the bed.

“You sounded scared. What did you see, Stevie?” he asked gently. It almost made him want to cry. Why was Bucky being so nice to him when Steve was a total ass the last time they were together?

“I don’t know, it was so damn dark. There was lightning and screaming. I was in some stone hallway with torches, and you were there. That’s why I said your name.” he tentatively glanced up at the demon. Bucky’s face immediately shut down again.

“I have to show you something.” he said abruptly pulling Steve to his feet.

“Wha-” Steve squeaked as the demon wrapped a strong arm around his thin shoulders. Bucky snapped his fingers and suddenly Steve was back in his nightmare again. Except for this time, he wasn’t asleep, and it was actually real. He unconsciously stepped further into Bucky’s side as they made their way into the dark of the corridor. The demon kept a firm grip on Steve as he led them further into the strange place. The blond shivered as the sound of screams and groans of pain kept getting closer.

Finally, the corridor opened up into an open space. The sky was still roiling, black streaked with lightning. However, what was in front of them was so much worse. There were metal tables lined up as far as the eye could see, and on each one of them was strapped a person with a black eyed demon leering over them. They were all being tortured in all kinds of different ways. One woman was lashing a man over and over with a riding crop, welts bleeding all over his body as he screamed. Another demon was carving into a woman’s chest with a wicked looking knife. Her eyes were rolled so far back into her head all he could see were the whites, and her mouth gaped open like a fish on dry land. Steve covered his mouth and buried his face into Bucky’s arm.

“What’s going on? Where are we?” He sobbed clinging onto the leather of Bucky’s sleeve.

“This is hell, and this is how demons are made,” Bucky said, voice devoid of any emotion. Steve whipped his head up incredulously.

“They did this to you?” he asked searching for any emotion on the other man’s face. Bucky only nodded his head and stared straight forward. Steve made the mistake of looking back over again just to make eye contact with a man as a demon shoved what looked like an oversized fish hook through his abdomen. Steve ripped out of Bucky’s hold and turned completely around and gripped his head in both hands hard while the man let out a bloodcurdling scream.

“Oh my God, Bucky, _please_ !” Steve cried screwing his eyes shut. That image would be forever seared in his brain, along with that scream. The demon’s arm was instantly back around his shoulders and Steve heard the snap of his fingers, but he didn’t relax until he felt the heat and the smell of burnt flesh fade away. The only smell that remained was the smell of ash, leather, and something distinctly _Bucky_. He was pressed into the taller man’s chest, shaking and clinging onto the lapels of his leather jacket for dear life.

“Do you realize now why I can’t grant your wish? I can’t put your soul through that, I just can’t.” Bucky was kissing the top of his hair and running his hands gently up and down Steve’s protruding ribs. Steve just shook his head and buried his face deeper into Bucky’s chest. Maybe he could just disappear into the skin that was so hot to the touch.

“C’mere.” He pulled Steve down onto the bed and followed suit, covering them both in the blanket that had fallen to the floor in their earlier haste. The demon rested his chin on top of Steve’s  head and sighed.

“I don’t know what to do now, Buck.” he croaked. Bucky just shushed him and ran his slender fingers through the golden locks on Steve’s head.

“Just be you, Stevie,” he whispered. Steve just nodded and let himself be held for once. He’d missed Bucky and he was mentally drained from literally going to hell and back. They could figure everything out in the morning, but for now, he needed rest. Steve quickly fell asleep against the demon’s chest with a weary sigh.

* * *

 

When Steve woke up he was pleasantly surprised to see Bucky still by his side. His heart was still a little heavy from the night before, but there was something reassuring about waking up to see Bucky casually reclining in his bed with the spell book in one hand, the other behind his head. Steve shuffled over to prop his head on the demon’s shoulder and peer at the page he was currently skimming.

“A tracking spell?” he hummed rubbing his eyes and yawning.

“A real one too, where the hell did you get this thing?” Bucky said turning to look at the nondescript maroon cover and spine.

“A bookstore downtown. I was kinda drawn to it, it was really weird,” he said.

“Well, that would explain the wicked magic coming off of it then. You better be careful with this thing, Stevie. You could summon something real nasty, like me.” He winked. Steve bit his lip and almost groaned. It was early in the morning and Bucky in his bed was _not_ helping his morning wood. The demon was giving him the cheekiest damn look, and he wanted to kiss it off his smug, gorgeous face.

Why shouldn’t he? It was just Bucky, after all, he didn’t seem to mind Steve’s small body. Hell, he refused to change it in the first place, and he was the one to instigate the kiss last time...

_Fuck it._

“Maybe that’s what I wanted.” he breathed pulling himself up and laying half on Bucky’s chest, their faces inches apart. Bucky was obviously taken by surprise, and his eyes widened as Steve basically purred on top of him.

“Fuck, Stevie.” he groaned. Steve just laughed and caught his bottom lip between his teeth. Bucky didn’t even hesitate, he just grabbed Steve’s face in both hands and kissed him like it was his last. As soon as Steve felt his hot tongue in his mouth he lost it. All resolve had vanished and he was fucking _hard_ in his pajama pants.

“Bucky.” he whined rutting up against the demon’s leather-clad thigh.

“Shhh, I got you, Stevie,” he whispered running his hands down to hold onto Steve’s narrow hips. Steve was too far gone to even care as Bucky maneuvered him to sit on his thigh for proper friction. He moaned when he felt large hot hands roaming his bony chest and catching on his nipples. Steve returned the favor by rucking up the impossibly thin shirt and letting his hands explore the tight muscles and smooth skin on Bucky’s chest and abdomen. He watched the muscles contract in a haze with every shift of his hips and pass of his hands. Suddenly remembering his manners Steve leaned back to palm the demon’s cock over the tight leather.

“Fucking _hell_ ,” Bucky hissed lifting his hips clear off the bed, bringing Steve with him. Steve laughed but then groaned when Bucky yanked him down to ravage his mouth again. Feeling himself getting close, Steve leaned back again and deftly unbuttoned the fly on the leather pants and took Bucky’s hard cock in hand and stroked frantically.

“I’m close.” he panted rutting faster on the muscular thigh underneath him. When he looked down at the demon’s face he gasped. Bucky’s eyes were blood red and it was hotter than it should’ve been.

“Cum for me.” he snarled twisting Steve’s nipples. Without warning, Steve came with a sharp cry. Bucky followed with a heart rattling growl and a jerk of his hips. Steve groaned as he felt the warm seed spill over his fist.

Steve went boneless as Bucky guided him down to lay on his chest. With a sigh, he buried his face into the crook of the demon’s neck and inhaled. His scent was just so damn intoxicating. His eyes drooped as large, hot hands drifted up and down his sweaty back. He would need to take a shower, but he was still drunk off the endorphins flooding his system.

“I wish you would have let me do that sooner, Stevie. I’ve been wanting to do that since I first laid eyes on you.” He groaned shifting his hips. Steve just laughed and slapped Bucky’s bicep.

“Do what? Cream our pants like teenagers?” Steve chortled. That sent the both of them into a fit of giggles.

“I’m gonna go take a shower. Do you have to leave soon?” Steve asked, looking up into Bucky’s eyes with a small pout.

“Yeah, I do. I have a whole list of deals to make today. Why’d you have to remind me?” he groaned and thumped his head against the headboard.

“Well, I’ll let you get to it then. Don’t want to get you fired or anything.” He pecked his lips and got up. He started to strip on his way to the bathroom and smirked when he heard another groan behind him.

“Why you gotta tease me like that, Stevie?” he whined from the bed. Steve turned when he heard a snap of fingers to see Bucky put back together and adjusting his already neat hair in the dresser mirror.

“See you later?” he asked hopefully. Bucky smiled and quickly made his way across the room to dip Steve into a deep kiss.

“You know it. See ya’ later, darlin’.” He smirked when Steve slapped him and turned into the bathroom.

“Bye, Buck,” he called. After another snap of fingers, he leaned out to make sure the demon was really gone. He smiled and shook his head as he stripped and stepped into the shower. That man would be the death of him, literally.

* * *

 

“Well, I guess everything worked out with Mr. Mysterious,” Natasha said as soon as she walked into the apartment with Sam in tow. Steve looked at her in surprise.

“Why do you say that?” He tried for nonchalant, but he was pretty sure the redhead secretly worked for the CIA or something and already had everything figured out.

“You’re practically glowing, Steve.” she deadpanned going straight for the wine she kept in Steve’s kitchen solely for when she visited. He blushed and ducked his head as Sam laughed.

“So when are we gonna be able to meet this guy, Steve? He must be something to catch your attention.” Sam said as they both plopped down onto the couch. Steve just shook his head and laughed nervously.

“I’ll introduce him to you guys, soon. Everything’s really new right now. Don’t want to scare him off too soon.” he said. Well, that wasn’t entirely a lie. Sam laughed again and turned on the TV.

“Sam.” At the tone of her voice both men turned to see Natasha standing in Steve’s doorway, spell book in hand. Steve instantly paled and swallowed hard.

“Nat, I can explain,” he said pleading. The redhead wasn’t dumb, and he knew that she knew _exactly_ what that book was.

“I think it’s time we have the talk with him.” she said directing her stern glare at Sam. When Steve looked over all he saw was a grim look on his friend’s face as he nodded his head.

“I already know how the birds and the bees work.” he joked half-heartedly and was somewhat confused as Natasha made her way over to sit beside Sam on the couch. However, he shut his mouth when they both leveled him with a stern look at the same time.

“Steve, we’re hunters. We hunt down and kill the supernatural.”

* * *

 

Steve felt like he couldn’t breathe. They what now? Sam must’ve seen him struggling and instantly grabbed the inhaler off the coffee table and thrust it into his hands. He took a grateful puff and took a deep breath.

“So, let me get this straight. You’re a hunter, but also a witch.” Steve said pointing at Natasha.

“That’s why as soon as I walked into the apartment I could just feel the magic coming off that spell book,” she said. Steve nodded thoughtfully. Everything was making so much more sense now.

“And you’re a soldier turned hunter.” He pointed at Sam.

“Yeah, Riley’s death wasn’t actually due to a faulty engine… A vengeful spirit took over the pilot of our aircraft. I got out, but Riley went down fighting. I was messed up for awhile after that. When I went looking for answers I found her.” he said pointing at Natasha.

“And I introduced him to other hunters.” she chimed in. Steve shook his head in disbelief. Everything he knew was being torn apart right in front of him. Sam had been his friend first, but he’d begrudgingly introduced Steve to Natasha after talking about her so much. Of course, the pair caught on like a house on fire, and they’d been friends ever since. But he’d never heard of these other people, these _hunters_.

“So, you hunt things like demons?” he asked tentatively. Of course, Nat caught onto his tone and narrowed her eyes.

“Yup, and also werewolves, wendigos, vampires, skinwalkers, you name it.” Sam added. Apparently, he hadn’t caught what his partner did.

“Steve, what did you do?” she said warningly. He made the mistake of quickly glancing to the spell book held securely in Natasha’s hands. However, not quick enough for her attentive gaze. Her nimble fingers were flipping to the dog-eared page instantly. He internally cringed as her eyes went wide.

“Please tell me you didn’t!” She was up in a flash.

“I summoned him but…” he hesitated.

“Steve!” He flinched at her panicked tone.

“I didn’t! Okay? He wouldn’t take my soul!” He stood up too, throwing his hands up. This seemed to frighten her even more. She began to pace and bite at her nails.

“Then what does he want? If it’s a normal crossroads demon he can’t deny a deal.” she thought out loud. Sam, who had been oddly silent the entire time, got up and went to the kitchen without a word.

“He’s not like that!” Steve roared standing up. Natasha stopped in her tracks her eyes wide.

“Please tell me he’s not the man you’ve been seeing,” she said lowly. Steve looked away, ashamed.

“Oh my God, Steve, he’s a demon!” she yelled.

“I know! But he’s not bad, he’s actually good to me, Nat,” he said, voice almost cracking.

“They’re on their way.” Steve whipped around to see Sam with a grim look on his face and cellphone in hand.

“Sam, you didn’t.” he breathed. Nat just pushed past him and grabbed her coat.

“I’m sorry, Steve, but we can’t risk it. No matter how good he may seem, he’s still a demon,” she said apologetically. After the door shut behind them, a purple light appeared and covered the door. Steve ran over and frantically tried to open it to no avail. If he hadn’t believed the whole witch thing, he did now. He allowed himself a brief scream of frustration and banging of fists on the protected door before taking a deep breath. He couldn’t help Bucky if he ran around his apartment panicking. Now that Sam and Nat were gone maybe he could try summoning Bucky?

“Bucky?” he tried. After a solid minute of listening to silence and no demon in sight, he huffed in frustration. Apparently whatever magic Natasha used also prevented him from reaching out to the demon.

The only other thing he could think of was the crossroads. If he could get there and summon and warn Bucky, then they could both escape. It was far enough away and he doubted they could find them in the middle of nowhere too quickly, but first, he’d have to get there. Suddenly, a thought hit him and he ran into his room. Steve almost cried in relief as the window slid open with a creak. In her haste she must not have thought of the fire escape in Steve’s room, only the front door and living room windows were covered in purple seals.

Steve yanked his closet door open and grabbed his bag from that first fateful night. He sighed in relief seeing the tin and his motorcycle keys still in place. Throwing on his leather jacket and slinging the straps of his bag over his shoulders Steve made his way down the fire escape under the setting sun.

* * *

 

Steve pressed the motorcycle harder as he sped down the darkened road. The roar of the engine was deafening in the silence. At this speed, he should get there a lot sooner than he had last time, or at least he really hoped so. He mentally cheered as the diner he’d visited last time flew by in a blur of light. It was halfway to his destination, and to say he was in a hurry was a huge understatement.

As soon as he saw the familiar mouth of the crossroads he skidded the bike sideways, flinging loose dirt everywhere as he came to a sudden stop. He all but ran to the center and dropped to his knees and clawed the dirt out of the way and frantically buried the tin box.

“Stevie? What the hell is going on?” Steve almost cried in relief as he whipped around to see Bucky standing behind him with his head cocked to the side and a worried expression on his face. He jumped up and grabbed the other man’s hand, tugging.

“We have to go, Bucky! Hunters are coming,” he said frantically. The demon’s eyes suddenly went wide in an instant and he quickly shoved Steve behind him. He was confused until he peered around the other man to see a flash of red and the glint of metal. The blond hadn’t heard the click of the safety on the gun, but Bucky certainly had. Suddenly, more clicks came from Steve’s sides and even behind him, making chills run down his spine. They were like shadows in the darkness, he hadn’t even heard or seen them approach.

They were surrounded. Steve and Bucky standing in the center of the crossroads. Natasha stood in front of them, her pistol raised and aimed right at Bucky. Without a second thought, Steve jumped in front of him and spread his arms, trying to cover the demon as much as possible.

“Steve, what are you doing? Move!” she shouted.

“No, how the hell did you even find me?” he said glaring at her.

“Tracking spell, your book was pretty handy.” came Sam’s voice from the side. Steve didn’t even have to look to know that he too was aiming a pistol at Bucky. He took a quick glance around to catalog who all was there. There were five in total, counting Nat and Sam. They were positioned like the points of a star on all sides. He didn’t recognize the other three hunters, but they too were holding guns. Except for a guy with dirty blond hair behind them, he held a bow and arrow. Steve didn’t have too much time to dwell on that because Bucky was stepping up to stand beside him, thumbs in his pockets. Nat still held her gun steady, aimed right between his eyes.

"I thought crossroad demons were supposed to be pretty and female." she sneered. Bucky, who’d been surprisingly silent for more than two seconds, threw a hand on his chest and mock gasped.

"You don't think I'm pretty?"

"I think you'd look pretty with a bullet in your head."

"Oh come on, Natasha. You know that won't kill me, and besides, Stevie here wouldn't have been interested if the boss sent a woman anyways." he winked. Steve blushed and ducked his head.

"It'll slow you down enough for one of us to get the demon knife between your ribs. Good luck finding out which one of us has it though." Her smirk curled her lips cruelly, and it was downright _terrifying_ . That effectively shut the demon up for once. Steve was starting to get scared. He could tell the demon was getting nervous, and that was _not_ good.

“Natasha, please. He’s not going to hurt anybody! Just let him go.” Steve begged the redhead. They had told him about the demon knife, and he knew that Bucky’s soul would be gone forever if they used it on him. Steve would rather let Bucky go than have him dead for eternity.

“You know I can’t do that, Steve.” Her expression softened briefly as she gave him a saddened smile.

He wasn’t sure exactly who fired first, but he was suddenly moving in front of Bucky when the sound of shots rang out. Everything happened so fast, one minute Steve was pleading with Nat, then a flurry of movement from all sides, and he was falling. Sharp pain bloomed from his abdomen and he was crying out.

“Steve!” a shrill cry.

“Oh my God!” the voice was deeper than the first.

“Who shot him!” another growled.

“It doesn’t matter! We need to get him outta here!”

“Stevie…” this voice was much softer and closer than the rest. He turned to see Bucky’s blurry face right beside him.

“Bucky?” he croaked. His head was swimming and he really wanted to sleep. He felt the cold ground under him, but he could also feel Bucky’s warm arms holding him up by the shoulders.

“Yeah, Stevie, we’re going to get you fixed up, okay?” His eyes flickered down Steve’s body quickly before returning to his face. Groggily, Steve’s own gaze followed down his body and landed on his stomach. Blood seeped from the gunshot wound and into his light blue button down. Taking a shaky breath he leaned his head gently on the demon’s shoulder, closing his eyes.

“Oh,” he said. Bucky let out a wet chuckle.

“Yeah, oh.”

“I’m not gonna make it, am I, Buck?” he asked a little too casually. He knew he would die, just not this way. At least he was with everyone he’d ever cared about.

“It’s not lookin’ so hot, darlin’,” Bucky admitted with a sniffle. Steve opened his eyes to see hot tears trailing down the demon’s face.

“You can’t let him die.” came a steeled voice from his right. He lolled his head over to see Natasha with trembling fists by her sides, her chin jutted up in defiance and tears in her eyes.

“The only way I can save him is to make the deal. Do you really want to lose him again in ten years?” Bucky snapped at her. His grip tightened on Steve’s shoulders protectively. The blond moaned in pain and glanced down at his stomach which had a much bigger red stain than it had before.

“ _Bucky_.” he sobbed gripping the leather jacket tight in his fist.

“Shhh, Stevie, I got you.” He carefully pushed the bangs off the blond’s sweaty forehead.

“ _Demon_.” Natasha hissed.

“I’m not fucking doing it without his permission. That’s not how deals fucking work, _witch_.” he hissed right back. Steve’s vision was swimming even more and it was getting harder to breathe by the minute.

“Do it,” he said. His grip was already loosening on the lapel of the demon’s jacket, and his eyes were getting so heavy. He could feel Bucky hesitate, but finally, _finally_ , he leaned in close.

“As you wish, Stevie,” he whispered it like a secret. Steve only caught a glimpse of red eyes before Bucky placed a searing kiss on his lips, one strong hand holding his face secure. What was once pain in only his abdomen spread like fire to his entire body. He could feel his whole form reshaping and stretching, and it hurt like hell. Steve cried out and twisted in the demon’s arms, but Bucky held him steadfast. The searing pain, hot like fire, lasted for what felt like hours before he finally went limp.

“Steve?”

Steve slowly cracked open his eyes to see worried red eyes peering down at him.

“Yeah, Buck.” he said smiling.

“Oh thank, Lucifer.” Bucky breathed ducking down to kiss him breathless.

“Holy shit, Steve.” He turned to see Sam, Nat, and the other three hunters gawking at him. He quickly glanced down and instantly sucked in a sharp breath. He was fucking _huge_. With a hand from Bucky, he quickly stood up to get a better look. The bottom of his khakis was halfway up his calves, and his shirt and jacket were straining at the seams.

“Holy shit.” he breathed. When he looked over at Bucky he was actually slightly taller than the other man. Bucky’s eyes shifted back to blue and he gave Steve a sad smile.

“How’d I do, Stevie?” he asked softly.

“Amazing, Buck, thank you. It’s everything I imagined and more,” he said wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Bucky hugged back and chuckled. He pulled back and gave the brunette the widest grin he could muster. Maybe it was the low lighting, but Steve swore he could see color rise to the other man’s cheeks.

“Alright, love birds, as sweet, and weird, as this is we need to figure out how to get blondie here out of his deal.” came a voice behind them. They both turned to see a brunette man with a goatee and thick rimmed glasses giving them a stern look.

“And you are?” Steve said crossing his thick arms over his wide chest. He was _definitely_ going to have to get used to that.

“Tony Stark, the arrow guy is Clint Barton.” Sam supplied. The other man stepped forward and introduced himself as James Rhodes, “but call me Rhodey.” he said. Steve and Bucky nodded at each one of them.

“So who holds his contract, demon?” Natasha said stepping forward.

“His name is _Bucky_ , Nat. We’re all working together now, and we’re going to play _nice_ ,” he said sternly.

“Alexander Pierce holds Steve’s contract, but good luck using your little demon knife on him. He’s a yellow eyed demon.” Bucky said.

“Don’t worry about that, Bucky boy. We’ve got a trick up our sleeves.” Tony said winking at him.

“I swear to Lucifer if you  _ever_ call me that again I will gut you,” Bucky growled. Tony kept his smile plastered to his face but took a noticeable step back.

“Noted.” He saluted.

“Are you talking about the Colt?” Clint spoke up. Tony nodded seriously and pushed his glasses back up his face.

“That’s the only way to kill a yellow-eyed demon, that we know of. Do you still have it in your armory, Tony?” Natasha asked.

“I’ll have to head back home to get it, but I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“Great, now how do we find this son of a bitch?” Sam said.

“I have just the plan,” Bucky smirked. Everyone nodded and huddled in. They had a soul to save.

* * *

 

Alexander Pierce so happened to be posing as Secretary of Defense at a corporation called S.H.I.E.L.D. He also happened to be Bucky’s boss and the one who currently held the contract to Steve’s soul. Steve narrowed his eyes at the pictures laid before him. The man was older, with fine wrinkles and blond hair, and the guy had an apparent affinity for gray and navy suits.

“Pierce has been using this meat suit for  _years_ now. He’s also cultivated a pretty decent horde of lower level followers, and not all of them are demons either. The bastard charms the pants off every creature he comes in contact with.” Bucky muttered shaking his head.

“So how are we gonna do this?” Steve asked looking over at Bucky.

“He stays late every night to run his little secret demon organization, Hydra. Everyone from S.H.I.E.L.D. should be gone, but there’s gonna be quite a few demons hanging around.” Bucky said glancing up at the hunters circled around Steve’s kitchen table, minus Tony.

“You want us to distract them while you take care of boss man here,” Natasha said tapping a perfectly polished nail on one of the photos of Pierce’s face.

“Smart girl, Natalia.” Bucky grinned. She was about to snark back, but just pursed her lips and glared when Steve gave her a warning look.

“I’m going in with you,” Steve said. The grin immediately slipped off the demon’s lips and he shook his head.

“The hell you are, Steve. I’m not risking that. I already granted your one and only wish, I’m not a genie ya’ know?” he said.

“I know that Buck, but I gotta be the one to kill him. It’s my contract and my responsibility.” he drew up to his full, new height and glared down at Bucky. The demon straightened up and glared right back.

“Listen, it’s probably best if we send the two of you in and have us as back up. We can distract the stragglers while Bucky distracts Pierce and Steve can get the shot in.” Clint piped up fiddling with his hearing aids.

“You still remember my lessons, Rogers?” Natasha asked. She had a small smile on her lips.

“You’re really letting me do this, Nat?” Steve said incredulously. The redhead had taught him how to shoot a couple of years ago when he’d moved into his apartment by himself. He never carried a gun, but the lessons had stuck and it was the thought that counted.

“You’re not that bad of a shot, and I can’t shelter you forever. But I’m counting on Bucky to be there to have your back,” she said.

“I should expect the demon knife between my ribs if he gets hurt, right?” Bucky said giving Natasha an almost bored look.

“Smart boy, Buchanan,” she smirked. Steve almost asked how she knew the demon’s full name, but he stopped himself last minute. It was Natasha, she knew absolutely _everything_.

They discussed every last detail of the plan until they were confident that they would be able to pull it off with minimal injuries.

“Tony should be here in about an hour with the Colt,” Rhodey informed everyone putting his phone back in his pocket.

“Great, get ready to head out soon, guys,” Steve said gaze landing on every person in the room.

“Aye aye, Captain!” Clint saluted from the corner, the arrow in his hand almost clipping his temple. Bucky laughed and Steve glared at him. He had a feeling he’d just gained a new nickname.

* * *

 

Steve sat on the fire escape breathing in the cool night air when Bucky ducked through the window and sat down on the sill. He didn’t say anything for awhile and Steve was just happy to sit in silence together and look at the lights of the city.

“Are you sure about this, Steve? We can easily take care of this by ourselves and you’d be safe,” he said quietly.

“My whole life I’ve hated bullies, and I wanted to be big so I could fight for what’s right. Now that I have the chance to do that I’m not going to pass it up. You gotta understand that, Buck.” he furrowed his brows and bit his lip. When he looked over at Bucky he was giving him a small compassionate smile.

“I know, Stevie. Jus’ makin’ sure you know what you’re gettin’ into.” Steve smiled wide and clapped a hand on Bucky’s shoulder. The man winced and gave an exaggerated yelp.

“Ow! Damn, Steve, know your own strength will ya’?” he teased shoving the blond.

“Jerk.” Steve shook his head with a smile.

“Punk.” Bucky jabbed right back.

“Hey, Cap, Tony’s here. Time to head out.” Sam stuck his head out the window with a sly smile. Steve groaned and Bucky slapped his knee.

“Oh, shut it, the both of you,” he grumbled getting up. He rolled his eyes as he heard them both high five behind him. Everyone looked up when they saw Steve enter the kitchen with Sam and Bucky in tow.

“Alright, let’s head out.” he said with a nod.

* * *

 

Steve and Bucky lead the small procession to the Triskelion on Steve’s motorcycle. The other three were squeezed into the cab of Clint’s truck. Steve loved the sleek black of his dad’s Harley, but he was also secretly charmed by the rustic red Ford pickup. Both engines quietly rumbled down the dark streets.

“Ya’ know when you first summoned me? I took one look at you and this bike and _holy fuck_ , Stevie. I just wanted to have my way with you on it.” Bucky suddenly purred in his ear. Steve blushed and almost veered into the opposite lane, but caught it in time.

“Jesus Christ, Bucky.” he groaned.

“Just making sure you’re on your toes, Cap.” he chuckled tightening his grip on Steve’s abs.

Both vehicles switched off their headlights once they approached the towering building. Steve rolled the bike to a stop across the street with the pickup close behind. Once everyone was assembled on the sidewalk Natasha started handing out comms.

“I’m gonna do a quick scout of the building,” she said before quickly slipping off into the shadows. Steve shook his head and pushed the small device in his ear along with everyone else.

“She’s not helping the secret CIA agent theory,” he muttered. He heard Sam huff under his breath and smiled. Glad he wasn’t the only one. Once the redhead returned everyone was already ready to go, strapped with weapons from head to toe. Even Bucky carried a few knives on him, and at least one pistol.

 _“It won’t take him down, but it’ll distract him if it comes down to it,”_ he’d said.

“I disabled hostiles in front of the entrances. There’s still at least thirty crawling on the floor Pierce is on though,” she said only slightly out of breath. Steve noticed her sheathing a bloodied knife on her thigh.

“Bucky will go in first and then we’ll come in behind him. Everyone clear on the plan? We can’t have any confusion here.” he said gaze sweeping over each face. They shook their heads and began filtering into the shadows. Steve motioned them to quicken their pace once they cleared the front door. Pierce’s office was on the top floor, and they’d have to hurry.

“Elevators clear.” he heard Rhodey say into the comms. Steve took a deep breath as the elevator went up without a hitch and the doors opened to an empty hallway. Everyone except Bucky got out. Once Bucky was in Pierce’s office they would use the stairs to ambush the next floor.

“Hope I don’t get fired. Wish me luck, guys.” Bucky joked pressing the ‘close doors’ button. There was fear in his eyes, and it unsettled Steve. Without thinking, his hand shot out and stopped the doors just in time. He stepped in and pressed his lips hard against the demon’s and wrapped him in a bone crushing embrace.

“Don’t do anything stupid until I get back.” Bucky’s voice wavered as he propped his chin on Steve’s shoulder.

“How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.” Steve squeezed him one last time before stepping back. The doors closed on Bucky’s watery smile and he was gone. No one said anything as Steve wiped his face and made his way over to wait in the stairwell.

* * *

 

Bucky forcefully pulled himself together and straightened his clothes before he heard the  _ping_ and the doors opened to a hallway crawling with demons. Many were carrying stacks of paperwork and briefcases or talking on the phone. They barely even gave him a second look, even in his tight leather and long hair. Just a promiscuous crossroads demon picking up his paycheck, nothing to see here. He managed to plaster a confident smirk on his face as he made his way through the throngs of smartly dressed meat suits. They would all be dead soon, and for some reason, he was oddly smug about it.

He strode up to Alexander Pierce’s office and rapped his knuckles on the glass three times before letting himself in.

“Ah, Buchanan, my favorite deal maker. What brings you to my office at this hour?” the older man said standing up from his desk and straightening his suit.

“It’s about a deal I just made, Steven Grant Rogers.”

* * *

 

“That’s our cue, move out.” Steve motioned quickly as the team of hunters sprinted up the two flights of stairs to the next floor and busted through the door. Steve brought up the back and immediately jumped into the middle of the fray, heading straight for the yellow-eyed demon’s office. He used his new size to his advantage and slammed his fist into anything that came his way. When one particularly large demon came at him he wrapped his fingers around his thick neck and threw him clear across the room, busting a glass wall in the process. Steve was almost to the end of the hall when he was jumped from behind, he struggled with the woman for moment when she suddenly went limp and fell off him, convulsing. He watched in amazement as her entire body lit up and then she was still. He looked up to see Sam with the demon knife, covered in blood and smiled.

“Thanks, man.” he said before turning and pushing his way through the rest of the bodies.

“Just go get your boy, Cap!” he heard Sam yell. Steve shook his head and kicked down the door, not even bothering using the knob. The wood splintered and both men inside the office whipped their heads up in surprise. Pierce was, unfortunately, the first one to sober up.

“Well, hello, Steven,” he said. Steve went to grab the Colt from its hiding place in the waistband of his jeans, but Pierce was faster. His hand shot up and suddenly Steve and Bucky were flying to opposite sides of the room. Steve’s head ricocheted off the wall and he groaned in pain, closing his eyes. When he opened them again he saw Bucky on the opposite wall, pinned just like him. Pierce casually strolled over to Bucky and ran a wrinkled hand down the man’s smooth cheek. Anger sparked in Steve’s chest and he struggled against the invisible force holding him down.

“Don’t fucking touch him, asshole.” Steve spit.

“Oh, I have every right to touch him. I taught him everything he knows, and he’s served under me for a _very_ long time.” he chuckled gripping Bucky’s face in one hand, squishing his cheeks together. It would look cute if it were literally anybody else and any other situation. The demon’s eyes flared red and he snarled jerking his head, but Pierce held him steadfast.

“Just let him go, it’s me you’d rather have,” Steve said. The Colt was digging painfully into his lower back and he _really_ wanted to use it on this fucker.

“Well, isn’t this something? A human caring for a demon! You’re a curious one, Steven. But do you really know him?” Pierce’s eyes flashed yellow and he grinned wide. Steve swallowed hard and nodded his head.

“I know him a whole hell of a lot better than you do.” he said staring the man down.

“I’ll have you know I tortured him myself, and taught him to do the same to others. He tortured human souls, and he _liked_ it.” his grip tightened on his chin and he forced Bucky to look at the blond. Bucky’s eyes were filled with fear and his nostrils were flaring. Steve was about to throw another threat at the yellow-eyed demon, but he caught sight of a flash of red in the doorway and stopped.

_Oh, thank God._

Without warning, a shot rang out in the room and Pierce roared in anger. Natasha had shot him right in the shoulder, temporarily disabling him. The hold on both men dropped and they both surged into action. It was like they were one as they moved. Bucky’s eyes flared red as he grabbed Pierce and twisted him around to face Steve. At the same time, Steve drew the Colt from his pants, aimed, and fired. The demon convulsed in Bucky’s grip as yellow light flickered through his whole body. The corpse hit the ground with a sickening thud as Bucky shoved him away. Steve walked up and kicked the dead man’s side for good measure.

“The thing is, Pierce, I don’t fucking care. His past doesn’t define him, you piece of shit.” he spit.

“Nice shot, Rogers. Right in the chest. Could have gone over a little towards the right more. We’ll work on that though.” Nat said squatting down and analyzing the corpse. Steve breathed out a laugh and sagged. Thankfully, Bucky was at his side in an instant and pulling his arm over the demon’s shoulders, supporting the blond’s weight.

“Heya, Stevie, you alright there?” he said lowly. Steve could see him checking him over for injuries, but there really wasn’t any, besides a painful bump on the back of his head.

“I’m fine, probably just going into shock a little.” he said tilting his head back.

“C’mon then, Clint got thrown pretty hard and everyone else needs to be patched up too,” Natasha said running a hand through her now tangled hair. Now that Steve thought about it, he’d never seen Nat look so rough. She was covered in blood and scratches, even though he was pretty sure most of the blood wasn’t hers.

“Sounds good,” he mumbled. They all limped out of the office together. And if Bucky went out of his way to step on Pierce on his way out no one said anything.

* * *

 

“Please tell me this isn’t going to be a reoccurring thing, you guys.” Steve groaned as he held an ice pack to the back of his head. Five hunters, a magically enhanced human, and a demon were all sprawled out in the living room of Steve’s apartment with ice packs and bandages.

“This is every Friday night for us, Cap,” Clint said jovially holding a bottle of vodka as his anesthetic. That did _not_ come out of Steve’s kitchen, so he figured it must’ve been courtesy of Natasha and her apparent aversion of hospitals. Apparently it “raises too many questions.”

“So, I guess you won’t become a hunter anytime soon then?” Rhodey asked.

“Definitely not. I fight bullies in back alleys, not werewolves and vampires,” he said shaking his head and immediately regretting it. The room began to spin and he had to close his eyes for a second.

“That’s a shame. That body was just _made_ for hunting.” Tony groaned.

“ _Steve’s_ body was made so he wouldn’t die in my arms, asshole.” Bucky glared.

“Oooh, feisty. I like him.” Tony said before promptly passing out on the couch. It looked like he’d had some anesthetic too. After that Steve noticed Bucky becoming increasingly more agitated. He pushed himself down the couch and as far as he could from Steve; his face completely shutting down. This was so unlike the cocky red-eyed demon that Steve knew something had definitely snapped in Bucky tonight, and he knew he had to fix it. Shooting Natasha a look she immediately got the hint and began gathering the tipsy hunters in his living room.

“It’s time to go now, boys. We’re overstaying our welcome,” she said pushing them out the door.

“So bossy,” Clint whined. He was all but carried out on the redhead’s shoulders.

“Call me if you need anything, Steve.” she said with a small smile before closing the door behind her.

“M’sorry, Stevie,” Bucky mumbled rubbing a hand on his forehead.

“Why are you sorry, Buck?” he asked quietly scooting closer to the demon until he was right up beside him. He didn’t resist as Steve wrapped a hand around his shoulders and pulled him into his side.

“I ran all your friends off.” he said shaking his head, but accepting the one armed hug.

“Technically, I was the one to run them off, but okay,” he said running his hand up to trail it through Bucky’s hair. The demon turned his head up and looked up at Steve with a hint of hesitation.

"What you said back there, about my past not defining me... Did ya' really mean it?" he asked quietly.

“Of course, Buck. You’re so good to me. Even when I was small you didn’t doubt anything I did or wanted to do. You went out of your way to be a friend, and now…” he trailed off on that last thought. What were they to each other now? Steve really cared about Bucky, maybe even loved him, but did he feel even close to the same? He obviously cared, but how much?

Bucky must have seen the warring emotions on Steve’s face because suddenly there was a hot hand squeezing his bicep.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m downright _smitten_ with you, Stevie,” he said smiling. Steve indulged him with a deep kiss, but the two broke apart in a fit of giggles.

“Love you too, jerk,” Steve said kissing his temple.

“Whatever, punk,” Bucky quipped. He had a huge grin on his face and Steve was breathless for a moment.

“So, what now?” Steve said eventually. They both looked at the disheveled living room that the hunters had left behind. Bucky was quiet for awhile, thinking.

“With Pierce gone I don't have to work the crossroads anymore. I don't have to make deals,” he said.

“Is that what you want, Buck?” he asked furrowing his eyebrows.

“I mean, I never really liked doing it in the first place. Humans ask for the dumbest shit, I swear. It’s like working customer service for the underworld, it’s awful. But Pierce said I was the perfect demon for the job since I was one of his more charming creations. Everyone else was too stiff or had a stick up their ass.” he chuckled a little.

“Well, he wasn’t wrong. You literally charmed the pants off me.” Steve said with a soft laugh. Bucky chuckled too, but he suddenly became serious again.

“I could take his place, and be a higher ranking demon.” he said.

“I know you’re an asshole, but you don’t seem the type.” Steve pondered. He feigned pain when the demon slapped him.

“Yeah, you’re right. I think I’d rather do something good for once,” he said, expression softening.

“You could become a hunter. The intel you could give them would be beyond helpful. Although, honestly, you could be anything you wanted.” Steve said sincerely.

“I could become yours and figure the rest out later.” he winked. Steve shook his head and squeezed the demon closer to him.

“Sounds good, Buck.”

* * *

 

_Two weeks later..._

“So, what happened to bullies in back alleys, Cap?” Sam yelled as Steve decapitated yet another vampire. They were currently slaughtering an entire nest, thanks to Bucky’s connections and intel.

“Figured out it wasn’t my thing anymore!” he called over the chaos. He could see the white of Sam’s teeth in the darkness as he tilted his head back and laughed. Steve and Bucky had quickly figured out that sitting around trying to figure out what to do in their new situation wasn’t really helping anyone, not really. So when Natasha had offered the job to them both once more, they took it.

“Behind ya’, Stevie!” he heard Bucky call before warm liquid splattered across the back of his shirt. He turned to see Bucky smirking, covered in blood with a dead vampire lying between them.

“Really, Buck? Our neighbors are gonna think we’re serial killers with all the bleach we buy,” he whined.

“Hate to break it to ya’, Stevie, but we kinda are.” he laughed as he whipped around and beheaded the fledgling running up behind him.

“Clear! That was the last one.” They turned to see Natasha covered head to toe in blood, holding her machete limp at her side. Steve was pretty sure they all looked about the same.

“Ready to go buy some more bleach, lover boy?” Bucky teased. Steve just shook his head and pulled him into a kiss. He wasn’t even bothered by the taste of copper on his tongue. As long as he had Bucky.

“Always, Buck.”

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my goodness, I don't even know where to begin! I guess I'll start out by thanking my wonderful artist comedicdrama for the absolutely GORGEOUS artwork! When I first saw it I knew I had to be the author for this one! It's a combination of my two favorite things and I'm so glad I got to work with you! Another shout out to my two lovely beta readers Tipsy_Kitty and Joey!
> 
> Also, this is the first fic I've ever finished. It was a monster to do, but I really hope my late nights and stressing was worth it. PLEASE let me know what you think in the comments! Feedback and compliments fuel my soul (;
> 
> Find us on Tumblr!
> 
> [comedicdrama](https://comedicdrama.tumblr.com/)  
> [bucky-take-the-wheel](https://bucky-take-the-wheel.tumblr.com/) (Dat me)


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